Mother-in-law

There are numerous jokes, anecdotes, even songs about mother-in-law in Russian culture. According to all this popular wisdom, he or she is doomed to live with his/her mother-in-law in a state of a permanent war.

Now, me and my American mother-in-law love each other

I wonder, if Russian mother-in-laws are such monsters because they are expected to be, or they are expected to be, because they *are* such monsters...

What about other countries? [ October 13, 2004: Message edited by: Mapraputa Is ]

According to popular belief, they're supposed to be monsters here in the U.S. of A., as well, but both my wife and I are happy with ours. I've certainly met people whose mother-in-laws are a mighty thorn in their sides.

I think the image of the evil mother in law is pretty universal. Might be caused by the bride's mother in the past often living close and trying to control every aspect of the married couple's life. I've seen it in action. An aunt tried for years to control everything about the life of her children after they married including the clothes they wore and the food they ate. Now they didn't mind I think but many others would.

I wish i had a horrible mother-in-law. It would mean my wife's mom wouldn't have had a prolonged fight with cancer before passing away, my wife woudn't be missing her best friend, and Mother's day would be much happier in my house.

There are only two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors

A lot of it is cultural. It depends on how the mother views her adult children. Control is the biggest point of conflict, IMO. The mother still wants to control the child, now there is an interloper here how does not recognise her authority and is not vulnerable to her manipulation techniques which she has perfected on her own child and she don't like it.

This is just observation. I personally have a wonderful mother-in-law. She treats me like royalty. At least that's my story if she catches wind of this thread. No seriously she is great.

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. – Charles Spurgeon

basha khan
Ranch Hand

Joined: Jan 26, 2002
Posts: 516

posted Oct 14, 2004 11:43:00

0

I heard a joke,

Once a man travelled all over the world.He travelled all over the world in search of a perfect woman. He wanted to get married, but how to accept an imperfect model?.he wanted a perfect woman. He came back, his whole life wasted, he could not find. Then one day a friend said "But now u are seventy and u searched ur whole life, couldn't u find a single perfect woman?" He said "Yes, once I came across one woman who was perfect." So the friend asked "Then what happened?" But the man became sad, he said "What happened? That woman was in search of a perfect man,

My husband always says:"Respect your parents and everyone will respect them". And I learned on himself it is true. If I ever tell my husband that my mom made a mistake or she has some weakness, he comes up with tones of examples to support that, he never took her side. On the other hand, if he ever tries to complain about her and I don't let him - just because she is my mother, and I owe her life, he doesn't say another word. Yes, that's right, I was wrong by telling anything negative about my mom also... I think noone should ever let their spouse or anyone else including themselves to complain about their parents , because once it is allowed it is a snowball that can break a family. There were moments I wanted to fight with my husband's family, but what would come out of it? Nothing pretty, I will be thousand times sorry I did that, I would make my and my husband's life misarable. It is much easier to walk out for 5 minutes, come back and suggest to bake a cake, like nothing happend. [ October 14, 2004: Message edited by: Rita Moore ]

Do you remember the story of King Solomon's wisdom? Two harlots came to him with one infant. Both had babies at the same time, but one died. Each claimed the surviving infant as their own. King Solomon said, "Get a sword and divide the child in two, and let each woman take half." One woman said, "Good, then neither of us will have a child, and we will be equal." The other cried, "No! Let the other woman have the child, but do not harm it." King Solomon pointed to the second woman and said, "This is the true mother."

We are told of a rabbi a hundred years ago in eastern Europe with wisdom that rivaled that of Soloman. Two women in a small town each had a daughter of marriageable age, and arrangements had been made for two rabbinical students from a distant town to come and be husbands for the two daughters. Unfortunately, one of the young men took ill and died along the way. The two women each claimed the surviving yeshiva boy for their daughter, and put it to the rabbi to decide. The rabbi declared, "Let the young man be cut in two, and let each daughter have half." The first woman said, "That is fair, then both our daughters will be unmarried." The second woman cried out, "Oh, no! Do not murder an innocent young man on my account. Let the other woman's daughter have him!" Indicating the first woman, the rabbi announced, "This, is the _true_ mother-in-law!"

This is just a joke. My own mother-in-law is very nice! (I must admit, however, that she lives several thousand miles away.)

Ray Marsh
Ranch Hand

Joined: Jan 12, 2000
Posts: 458

posted Oct 14, 2004 15:44:00

0

Mixed feelings = Your mother in law driving off a cliff in your new Hummer.